Amador and Verdugo
35% 4% 3% 3% 2% Other |demonym = Amadorianos (Spanish) Verdugianos (Spanish) Amadorverdugans ( ) |government_type = |leader_title1 = President |leader_name1 = Nataniel Díaz |leader_title2 = Vice President |leader_name2 = Sabela Casárez |leader_title3 = President of the Chamber of Deputies |leader_name3 = Delfor Batista |leader_title4 = President of the Supreme Court |leader_name4 = Dositeo Negrete |sovereignty_type = Independence |legislature = Chamber of Deputies |upper_house = |lower_house = |established_event1 = From (Amador) |established_date1 = Aug 15, 1873 |established_event2 = From Spain (Verdugo) |established_date2 = March 21, 1891 |established_event3 = Unification |established_date3 = Jan 11, 1914 |established_event4 = |established_date4 = |area_rank = 132nd |area_magnitude = |area_km2 = |area_sq_mi = |percent_water = |population_estimate = 12 million |population_estimate_rank = |population_estimate_year = 2014 |population_census = |population_census_year = |population_density_km2 = |population_density_sq_mi = |population_density_rank = |GDP_PPP = |GDP_PPP_rank = |GDP_PPP_year = |GDP_PPP_per_capita = |GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = |GDP_nominal = |GDP_nominal_rank = |GDP_nominal_year = |GDP_nominal_per_capita = |GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = |Gini = |Gini_rank = |Gini_year = |Gini_category = |HDI = |HDI_rank = |HDI_year = |HDI_category = |currency = Amador and Verdugo dollar |currency_code = AVD |time_zone = |utc_offset = |time_zone_DST = |DST_note = |utc_offset_DST = |date_format = dd/mm/yyyy (CE) |drives_on = right |cctld = .av |aircraft_code = |vehicle_reg = |calling_code = +28 |patron_saint = |footnotes = }} Amador and Verdugo ( : Amador y Verdugo), officially the Republic of Amador and Verdugo (Spanish: República de Amador y Verdugo), is an island country located off the coast of in the . It compromises of 18 islands with 14 states and a : Acosta Becerra. The nation derives it's names from the two largest islands, the Island of Amador and the Island of Verdugo, which were both at one time two respective republics. The largest city is San Miguel. The country was first settled by peoples, who had established several villages before the arrival of in 1492. Columbus claimed the islands for the , which remained one single colony until Amador's independence in 1873 and later Verdugo's in 1891. was popular in Amador and Verdugo, especially so in the latter. The islands were used as a post for ships to rest and resupply before slaves were shipped to their final destination. Because of this, the country has developed a large community from African ancestry and remains the second largest people group today, after those of Spanish ancestry. The Republic of Amador and Verdugo is a with a rich economy and enjoys a high quality of life. The country's national bank, Central Bank of Amador and Verdugo, has played an important role in the growth of the nation's economy. Amador and Verdugo is a founding member of the , the , the , , , and the . It is a in South America and a in foreign affairs. History 'Early History' Amador and Verdugo was settled by Amerindians which created several tribes within the lower half of the country and only one that was known to be in Verdugo. Amador consisted of pre-agricultural Archaic people more than 7000 years ago. speaking tribes predominantly occupied Amador and sparsely populated Verdugo at the time of contact. 'Colonization' encountered several of the islands and called the island chain: Nova Cádiz, after the city Columbus departed from on the third voyage. Columbus' men conquered the islands and wiped out much of the native population to Amador and later Verdugo. Eventually, the native population grew extinct and are not present on the islands today. After the establishment of Columbus, Amador and Verdugo remained a prosperous colony for the . Today the Spanish have a predominant population with the exception of those of African descendants in Verdugo. Verdugo, primarily the island of Gamboa, was used as an port for the import and export of slaves. was abolished in the colony in 1542. 'The Two Republics' In the 1700s, the African population began to identify themselves as "Verdugianos" after the popular African statesman and nationalist, Alejandrino Verdugo Acuna. Verdugo Acuna was seen as a model citizen and thus chosen to represent the African population as a term for identification. This led to a separate identity from that of the white Spanish population of the Colony of Nova Cádiz. This created an identity crisis with the colony. In 1873, the Republic of Amador gained independence from Spain, and wished to separate themselves from Verdugo. The name "Amador" was chosen from the first President of Amador and father of independence, Jaunelo Amador Solano. The Republic of Amador made Acosta Becerra it's seat of government. Verdugo gained independence later in 1891 as a separate republic, the Republic of Verdugo. San José was chosen as it's capital. The two countries coexisted very peacefully and even created a special foreign diplomatic status for the other republic. 'Unification' During the late 1800s, the Republic of Verdugo faced a critical economic downfall. Not able to hold a stable president to govern the country, there was no strong economic leadership. The Congress of the Republic of Verdugo passed several economic initiatives to try to stabilize the economy, but failed many times. With the close diplomatic relations with their neighbor, the government of Verdugo received economic help from the Republic of Amador. They were receiving millions of dollars in assistance for almost twenty years. With the two countries' open immigration policy, many citizens of Verdugo immigrated to Amador in hopes of finding work and providing for their families. This caused the population of Verdugo to drastically decline. There was such a large population of Verdugianos in Amador that the government had to restrict immigration. The Republic of Amador soon found themselves in an economic crisis during the late 1910s. The Amadorian government soon requested that Verdugo make an effort in paying off it's debt in hopes to restore the Amador economy. Verdugo was noncompliant. The two republics' presidents met for what was called the San Miguel Conference. There were days of negotiations. Finally, the two leaders agreed that perhaps the best solution would be to rejoin the two republics and form a united nation to try to end their economic perils. On August 19, with it's new constitution approved by the public, the two countries became the Republic of Amador and Verdugo, with Acosta Becerra as it's new capital.